Engineering Commons^™

Infographic: Lessons Learned From Successful Black Male "Buoyant Believers" In Engineering And Engineering-Related Fields, Leroy L. Long Iii, William Wanyagah

Publications

Infographic about lessons learned from successful black male "buoyant believers" in engineering and engineering-related fields.

Nano-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Nano-Mri) Gives Personalized Medicine A New Perspective, Lorenzo Rosa, Jonathan Blackledge, Albert Boretti

Articles

This paper reviews some of the major and most recent advances in nanoscale-magnetic resonance imaging (nano-MRI) for personalized medicine (PM). Nano-MRI may drastically expand the capabilities of the traditional magnetic resonance images (MRI), down to the nanometer scale and possibly, in the near future, at the atomic scale. Nano-MRI is potentially able to observe structures which cannot be seen using today’s molecular imaging, with sensitivities of many billions of times better than MRI as currently used in hospitals, for example. The paper briefly reports on the foremost research themes in nano-MRI.

Operational Analysis Of Improved Γ-Z-Source Inverter With Clamping Diode And Its Comparative Evaluation, Zeeshan Aleem, Mohamed Moin Hanif

Articles

Due to a substantial shortage of conventional energy sources, the utilization of renewable energy is gaining attention. Power converters form interfaces to provide power from renewable energy sources to end user systems. Impedance-source inverters (ZSIs) have become a research hotspot and are widely used to overcome the drawbacks of conventional voltage-source inverters and current-source inverters such as two-stage power conversion and less immunity to electromagnetic interference noises. This paper presents various transformer-based ZSIs mainly classified as trans-ZSIs, improved trans-ZSIs, inductor-capacitor-capacitor transformer ZSI, TZSIs, and their comparisons with a new family of ZSIs called Γ-Z-source inverters (ΓZSI). Full operational analysis of …

Grid Voltage Sensorless Single-Phase Half-Bridge Active Filter And Dc Bus Voltage Regulation, Samet Biricik

Articles

In this paper, a method is presented for the control of grid voltage sensorless single-phase half-bridge shunt active power filter to reduce the grid current harmonics of low-power single-phase non-linear loads. The proposed system forces the grid current to be sinusoidal without sensing and processing the grid voltage on the line. For this reason, instead of grid voltage the load current is processed by using self-tuning filter to generate reference grid current to eliminate current harmonic distortions. In order to design a low-cost system, a half-bridge voltage source converter is used to reduce driver circuits. In addition, the switching losses …

Underground Structures, Rock Structures And Rock Mechanics From Ancient Era To The Modern Age, Ebru Akiş, Özgür Satici

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Usage of underground space is an old habit for human beings since ancient era. Our ancestors have used caves as a shelter for protection from the wildlife and nature, and they excavated caves to extract valuable minerals. They also used them as sanctuaries, tombs or for storage of goods. In addition, they built tunnels to be used as assault systems or to underpass fortifications during ancient warfare. Later on, tunnels were driven to supply water to the towns or to protect the towns from floods. They also built them for communication purposes. Though not knowing the exact time when they …

Geospatial Drivers Of The Groundwater Δ18o Isoscape In A Temperate Maritime Climate (Republic Of Ireland), S. Regan, R. Goodhue, O. Naughton, Paul Hynds

Articles

In recent years, the concept of “isoscapes” has been used to describe spatiotemporal stable isotope distributions within natural environments including groundwater systems at multiple scales. This study presents an updated groundwater δ18O isoscape for the Republic of Ireland and describes the climatic and geological drivers influencing 18O composition. In all, 142 geographically and geologically representative groundwater installations were sampled and analysed, in addition to 35 samples from six nested boreholes. Geospatially, Irish groundwater exhibits high δ18O values in southern and western coastal regions, becoming progressively depleted inland before reaching lowest measured values along the eastern coast, equating to a national …

Application Of Artificial Intelligence For Detecting Derived Viruses, Omotayo Asiru, Moses Dlamini, Jonathan Blackledge

Conference papers

Computer viruses have become complex and operates in a stealth mode to avoid detection. New viruses are argued to be created each and every day. However, most of these supposedly ‘new’ viruses are not completely new. Most of the supposedly ‘new’ viruses are not necessarily created from scratch with completely new (something novel that has never been seen before) mechanisms. For example, most of these viruses just change their form and signatures to avoid detection. But their operation and the way they infect files and systems is still the same. Hence, such viruses cannot be argued to be new. In …

A Holistic Risk-Oriented Framework For Port Infrastructure Adaption To Climate Change, Kana Nkasanga Patrick Mutumbo

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

This research is the first attempt in developing a broad-based qualitative tool for assessing climate risk in ports and building resilience. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the conceptual tool, the new Durban Dig-Out Port (DDOP) under development in the City of Durban (South Africa) is used for case study. Central to this research is the building of widespread industry recognition of the need to factor climate change into decision making at early stages of port development.

The recent significant shift toward supply chain management and customer orientation practices calls for the need to assess the effectiveness of port …

Preparation And Application Of Catalysts For The Stereospecific Reduction And Photooxygenation Of Olefins In Continuous Operations: A Novel Method For The Production Of Artemisinin, Daniel C. Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last two centuries, the discovery and application of catalysts has had a substantial impact on how and what chemicals are produced.Given their broad significance, our group has focused on developing new catalyst systems that are recoverable and reusable, in an attempt to reduce concomitant costs.

Our efforts have centered on constructing a recyclable chiral heterogeneous catalyst capable of effecting asymmetric hydrogenations of olefins with high stereoselectivity. A class of phosphinoimidazoline ligands, developed by researchers at Boehringer-Ingelheim, known as BIPI ligands, have proven efficacious in the asymmetric reduction of alkenes. However, these chiral ligands are homogeneous and coordinated to …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Carbon Doped Tio2 Photocatalysts Supported On Stainless Steel Mesh By Sol-Gel Method, J. O. Tijani, O. O. Fatoba, T. C. Totito, W. D. Roos, L. F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study synthesized pure anatase carbon doped TiO₂ photocatalysts supported on a stainless-steel mesh using a sol-gel solution of 8% polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/dimethylformamide (DMF)/TiCl4. The influence of the pyrolysis temperature and holding time on the morphological characteristics, particle sizes and surface area of the prepared catalyst was investigated. The prepared catalysts were characterized by several analytical methods: high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD patterns showed that the supported TiO2 nanocrystals are typically anatase, polycrystalline and body-centered tetragonal in structure. The EDS and XPS results …

2-D And 3-D Mapping Of Soil And Rock Structure In Karst Terrain Of Southwestern Missouri Using The Non-Invasive Electrical Resistivity Tomography Method (Ert), Diya Ali Ahmad Alfuqara

Masters Theses

"Electrical resistivity tomography data were acquired in an extensively karstic area of southwestern Missouri. The interpretation of the electrical resistivity tomography data was constrained by multichannel analysis of surface wave data and limited boring control. The objective of the study was to determine if variations in the moisture content of the soil and shallow rock are related to ground surface topography. Analysis of the acquired electrical resistivity tomography data showed that resistivity values of soil and shallow rock beneath and in proximity to identified natural and man-made surface run-off pathways are typically low compared to the resistivity values of soil …

Use Of Natural Ores As Oxygen Carriers In Chemical Looping Combustion: A Review, Michael J. Matzen, Jessica Pinkerton, Xiaomeng Wang, Yaşar Demirel

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) has gained considerable ground in energy production due to its inherent carbon capture with a minimal energy penalty. The choice of metal oxide used as an oxygen carrier (OC) in CLC has a substantial weight on the overall efficiency of energy production as well as the ultimate cost per MW. While much work has gone into manufacturing synthetic OCs with high fuel conversions, harsh operating conditions and process limitations cause some unavoidable loss of the oxygen carrier. With low production costs and minimal conditioning required, natural ores have grown in interest as cheap alternative oxygen carriers. …

Intercomparison Of Modis And Viirs Fire Products In Khanty-Mansiysk Russia: Implications For Characterizing Gas Flaring From Space, Ambrish Sharma, Jun Wang, Elizabeth M. Lennartson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Gas flaring is commonly used by industrial plants for processing oil and natural gases in the atmosphere, and hence is an important anthropogenic source for various pollutants including CO₂, CO, and aerosols. This study evaluates the feasibility of using satellite data to characterize gas flaring from space by focusing on the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug in Russia, a region that is well known for its dominant gas flaring activities. Multiple satellite-based thermal anomaly data products at night are intercompared and analyzed, including MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Terra level 2 Thermal Anomalies product (MOD14), MODIS Aqua level 2 Thermal …

Project Managers' Strategies For Megaproject Success, Nkenamchi Benedict Oputa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Africa, most oil and gas megaprojects exceed their original budget and time deadlines despite advancement in project management processes and systems. This study explored strategies project managers used for megaprojects' success in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, from the perspectives of the owner and contractor organizations. Multiple case study design was utilized to collect data by asking open-ended questions in separate interviews with 4 project managers. Archival project data was also reviewed to eliminate information incongruences. The conceptual framework for the study is the contingency theory that there is no universal management structure for every project. The …

Modeling Dynamic Community Acceptance Of Mining Using Agent-Based Modeling, Mark Kofi Boateng

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research attempts to provide fundamental understanding into the relationship between perceived sustainability of mineral projects and community acceptance. The main objective is to apply agent-based modeling (ABM) and discrete choice modeling to understand changes in community acceptance over time due to changes in community demographics and perceptions. This objective focuses on: 1) formulating agent utility functions for ABM, based on discrete choice theory; 2) applying ABM to account for the effect of information diffusion on community acceptance; and 3) explaining the relationship between initial conditions, topology, and rate of interactions, on one hand, and community acceptance on the other …

Characterization Of Ecological Water Stress In The U.S. Great Lakes Region Using A Geospatial Modeling Approach, Sara Alian

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Anthropocentric water resources management affects aquatic habitats by changing streamflow regime. Understanding the impacts of water withdrawal from different sources and consumption by various economic sectors at different spatial and temporal scales is key to characterizing ecologically harmful streamflow disturbances. To this end, we developed a generic, integrative framework to characterize catchment scale water stress at annual and monthly time scales. The framework accounts for spatially cumulative consumptive and non-consumptive use impacts and associated changes in flow due to depletion and return flow along the stream network. Application of the framework to the U.S. Great Lakes Region indicates that a …

Experimental Investigations Of Natural Circulation In A Separate-And-Mixed Effects Test Facility Mimicking Prismatic Modular Reactor (Pmr) Core, Mahmoud M. Taha

Doctoral Dissertations

"After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011, significant attention was directed to investigate natural circulation thermal-hydraulics in Prismatic Modular Reactors (PMRs). Natural circulation is employed as a passive safety feature that passively removes the decay heat released after the loss of flow accidents (LOFA). Several computational studies have addressed such phenomena, however, validation of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is needed by providing high-quality data obtained from separate test facilities designed with reference to the corresponding reference PMRs. To address this need, a separate effects Plenum-to-Plenum Facility (P2PF) was designed and developed with dual channels and plena for …

Middle School Student Habits, Perceptions, And Self-Directed Learning, Scott R. Bartholomew

Faculty Publications

Today’s students are growing up in a digital world with constant connectivity, instant access to information, and new technological developments at every turn. The feasibility, effectiveness, and possibilities of students leveraging technological tools around them for learning are the subject of continual debate (Becker, 2017; Bowen, 2012; Tamim, Bernard, Borokhovski, Abrami, & Schmid, 2011). In this study, 706 middle school students from 18 classes worked in groups of 2-3 to complete an open-ended engineering design challenge. Students completed design portfolios and constructed prototypes in their groups in response to the design challenge. Classes were divided with some receiving access to …

Safety Airway For Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using A Gas Particles Behavior Analogy, Pablo Rangel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented the Part 107 legislation to allow the flight of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for commercial use (i.e. package deliveries, power transmission line inspections, etc.) in the National Airspace System (NAS). As a consequence of the newly introduced rules, there is an increased risk for accidents involving injured bystanders or damaged to property. The work within this document defines a UAV to UAV safety distance model that acts as a range sensor enabled "elastic bubble". The length of the UAV safety bubble contracts and expands upon changing airway wind speed conditions. It also …

Optimization Of Collagen Microneedle Using Taguchi Method, Abhilash Aditya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research is conducted to create dissolving collagen microneedles and to optimize the parameters for close to perfect dimension microneedles. A collagen microneedle patch has been developed with a micro-manufacturing process (micro-molding process). The collagen microneedles, varying in length from 300 to 600-μm may reach different targeted layers of the skin depending on the application. As the microneedles penetrate the skin they dissolve, delivering collagen through the epidermis. Such addition of collagen directly to the dermis layers allows it to be absorbed, increasing skin's strength and resilience, since it is one of the natural components of the younger looking skin. This …